Amid the uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah's injury status and debate over whether India could've managed his workload better during their five-Test tour of Australia, former captain Kapil Dev has urged people to not compare his era with the current one. This comes after Kapil's former teammate Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who was part of the legendary all-rounder's 1983 World Cup-winning team, trashed the concept of workload management.
"Please do not compare (me with Bumrah); you cannot compare one generation with another. The boys of today score 300 runs in a single day, which didn't happen in our time. So, don't compare," Kapil said while speaking to the media.
Although India lost the series 3-1, Bumrah was the standout bowler across the two sides. The 31-year-old picked 32 wickets in five matches at a stunning average of 13.06 across 151.2 overs, comprising three five-wicket hauls, to claim the Player of the Series award. However, the campaign ended on a heartbreaking note as Bumrah missed the final innings of the Sydney Test owing to a back injury.
What Balwinder Singh Sandhu had said
There are no doubts as to whether Bumrah will be fit in time for the 2025 Champions Trophy and debates over whether his workload could've been managed better. However, Sandhu said that bowling about 150 overs in a five-match series shouldn't be a concern.
"Workload? How many overs did he bowl? 150-something, right? But in how many matches or innings? Five matches or nine innings, correct? That comes down to 16 overs per innings or 30 overs per match. And he didn’t bowl those 15-plus overs in one go. He bowled in spells. So, is it a big deal? Workload management is bull****. These are Australian terms, created by Australians. Workload management is nothing. I don’t agree with this. I come from an era when cricketers used to listen to their bodies and no one else. I don’t agree with this at all," Sandhu told the Times of India.
{{/usCountry}}"Workload? How many overs did he bowl? 150-something, right? But in how many matches or innings? Five matches or nine innings, correct? That comes down to 16 overs per innings or 30 overs per match. And he didn’t bowl those 15-plus overs in one go. He bowled in spells. So, is it a big deal? Workload management is bull****. These are Australian terms, created by Australians. Workload management is nothing. I don’t agree with this. I come from an era when cricketers used to listen to their bodies and no one else. I don’t agree with this at all," Sandhu told the Times of India.
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